High Tide?
by dancinginsunshine
Summary: An explosion at a marina leaves Bishop and Torres undercover, but what happens when their feelings get thrown afterwards? A suspicious death and a drug bust leaves the dynamic duo some feelings to overcome. Ellick. My ideas about what High Tide (15x11) will be like.
1. Chapter 1

The Player

 **A/N: I feel like Nick Torres and Ellie Bishop's relationship has gotten stronger, and my amazing NCIS analysis buddies have put together some thoughts about them, and I am attempting to write a Torres/Bishop story. Set around now, 15x11 ish.**

The loud buzzing from Gibbs's desk was starting to annoy her. A beep and a buzz would go off every few seconds, and then a Ping! Ellie knew that Gibbs certainly did not own an iPhone or any type of phone that was developed before 2004.

She brushed the hair out of her face, and sat up. She had spent the night at the office because of a heavy case they had been assigned to, and the rain had made all productive levels go down.

"Morning Bish." said Nick, strolling in the bullpen. "You look..."

"Tired?" asked Ellie, standing up. "Yeah I know."

"Oh no no no," assured Nick, "You look great. Fine. As normal. But come on Ellie, you've got to stop spending the night here." he persauded.

"I know... but it just feels so cold and empty going back to my apartment. I mean, I got divorced there, some of my last moments with Qasim was there, and... I like it here. NCIS is my home." she said softly, remembering her fallen fiance.

"I know how much you loved him." said Nick, "And I want you to know, that we're here for you. Always. Especially me, even after... Sophia." he sighed. "Sometimes, it's just like they never left you know? Like you can still feel them with you."

Ellie nodded. "Qasim left a shirt and a note. The last night he spent with me, and it said 'So you'll always have me.' and I, I bought his cologne so it just smelled like him. I know it sounds dorky and cliche, but I miss him."

Nick nodded. "Sophia, she liked the smell of strawberry, so every year on her birthday, I light a strawberry scented candle, and I remember her."

Ellie sighed. "Life is too short to not tell someone about love."

"Amen to that." muttered Nick, before diverting his attention elseware before he started stuttering again.

Gibbs set his cup of coffee down on his desk, and grumbled a "Hello." to Ellie and Nick, before annoyingly rolling his eyes.

Another text. "I hate Fornell." he grumbled.

"What'd he do this time?" asked Ellie curiously.

"Yeah. Did he like, blow up your kitchen or something?"

"He signed me up for some stupid app called Tinder. He got Emily and I an iPad for Christmas, and now there are all these weird gadget things. The whole da*n screen is bigger than 10 of my phones."

Nick choked on his blueberry muffin. "Did you say Tinder?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Is that something I should know about?" he asked, before rolling his eyes again.

"It's a dating app." replied Ellie, before shooting Nick a sly smirk.

"And it says here you have 18 ladies and 2 men who'd like to date you." noted Nick, peering over Gibbs's shoulder.

Gibbs snatched the iPad out of his hands. "Wonderful." he muttered sarcastically.

He turned the sound off and stuffed it in his locked drawer.

"So, I want you both on this case." said Gibbs confidently. "We have evidence that states the handoff for the 'diamonds' will be tonight at 5:30. This means undercover."

"Us?" squeaked Ellie, "Nick and I?"

"Yeah." said Gibbs, "And I want you too as a _romantic and in love_ couple."

Torres raised his hand.

Gibbs smirked. "Yes, Torres?" he asked.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "You want Bish and I, to go undercover, as a couple?"

"Did I stutter?" asked Gibbs, glaringly slightly. "Yes, I want you and Ellie to go. And plus, you keep telling us about your 8 years of undercover work, so you can surely survive a romantic two hours, can't you?" he mocked.

Ellie shrugged. "Okay, whatever you want boss. And where's McGee?" she asked.

"Delilah had some cravings last night. Even though she's not pregnant anymore. The twins have worn her out. Pickles dipped in mustard with a McFlurry and fries. Apparently only three McDonalds in the whole D.C. area sells fries at 2 am in the morning. McGee sounded so tired on the phone so I gave him a 3 hour late start." explained Gibbs.

"Did you say pickles dipped in mustard?" asked Nick. "Dang, that stuff is nasty, bro."

"You're not the one who's raising these children." grumbled Ellie, "If Delilah has to go through that, and having the babies, and raising them, the least McGee can help her with cravings and like, food. Twins is a lot of work. Plus, no uterus, no opinion."

"You watch too much of that show of yours, Friends." grumbled Nick.

"Hey," exclaimed Ellie, "At least I don't cry when girls reject me."

"That's because you're evil." he muttered. "Uh huh." said Ellie, "And you know that because-"

"Okay then. Come on." said Nick, dragging her by the arm.

"Hakuna your tatas will you?" grumbled Ellie, "Why do you walk so fast?"

"It's because I'm taller than you. Now hush." shushed Nick.

"Potassium." muttered Ellie.

"Excuse me?" asked Torres, "Did you just say potassium?" he asked dumbfoundedly. "Isn't that like a..."

Ellie sighed. "Nobody ever gets that joke. On the periodic table of elements, the letter for potassium is K. So, I said 'K' like 'okay'. Duh."

Nick nodded. "I guess you do learn something new every day, huh."

"Are you telling me you didn't know that the atomic symbol for Potassium was 'K'?" asked Ellie, shockingly.

"I mean, we can't all make perfect grades in science, can we?" he asked jokingly.

Ellie shot him a look of amusement. "You do realize that this is basic stuff right? Like 6th grade."

Nick waved it off. "Sure."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "If you had been on that show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grade, you obviously would have failed." she replied, shooting him a look of annoyance.

"Me, fail? Nah, Bish, you know me better than that."

"Your personal life didn't have anything to do with that." she muttered.

"Well-"

"When you two are done flirting, can I explain my analysis now?" asked Abby impatiently. "You guys need to go the marina soon."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Ellie was nervously fidgeting with her hair. She had chosen a navy blue sweater, with a black leather jacket, as well as a light blue denim skirt for the date, as well as her favourite pair of black boots.

Hesitating nervously, she quickly brushed her hair up into a messy ponytail, and left it a bit frizzled. Hopefully Nick would notice the change.

She came out of the bathroom, before shrugging. The crisp January D.C. air was nice, and she was really enjoying the breeze. Well... truth be told, she was freezing.

"You look nice." noted McGee, "Nice boots too. Delilah has a pair like that."

"Tory Burch?" asked Ellie, twisting to the side.

"Yeah. I got it for her, for one of her Christmas gifts last year."

"Nice." said Ellie, "These boots were not cheap. But they are so comfortable." she swooned.

"Hey," said Nick, "Wow, you look nice. Different. But I like it."

Nick, dressed in a gray Abercrombie shirt, with a fleece denim coat, and ripped blue jeans, nodded. "I look like some New York hippie, man."

"Good." said Gibbs, swooping in. "Here are your ear pieces, and you will follow any commands that Tim and I give you. Understand. This means giggles and laughs. We'll be a black van off to the side. I have a boat set aside for both of you. The handoff will be in the side, and it is visible from the water."

"Gotcha." said Ellie.

"And do not throw Torres off the harbor, please." asked Tim, glaring at Ellie slightly.

"Yeah Bish, don't throw me overboard." pleaded Nick.

"If you annoy me enough I will." she grumbled. "Hey hey hey, nice words. We're in _love_ remember." said Nick.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Sure. In love." she muttered sarcastically. Nick slipped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on Ellie. Lighten up a bit."

"Last time you said that, you ended up singing Ed Sheeran and we ended up in a ditch because you drank too much beer. And I had to tell the repairman that." retorted Ellie. "Hey," said Nick, "You asked me to drop you off, you know."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Nick grinned, "Can we practice-"

"No." said Ellie firmly, "We are not practicing saying romatic things to each other again."

Nick sighed, "But come on Ell, I'm nice and smooth, and-"

"Torres no one wants to hear about your bloody naked body again." retorted Clayton Reeves, who had poked his head over the divider in the bullpen.

"Hey, that was one time. And I'm sure you guys enjoy-"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Stop. We're not doing this again."

"Again?" asked Clayton, "What are you doing in your free time Nick?"

"Why does everyone automatically assume it's me?"

"Because it usually is!" exclaimed Ellie. McGee sighed. "Ellie does have a point..."

"Thanks Tim." mumbled Nick. Ellie smiled, "Come on, Nick, you've certainly gotten better over the past year."

"No I haven't. If I did, Paraguay would have never happened."

McGee looked down at the floor, and Gibbs sighed. "You can't keep blaming yourself over that. That wasn't your fault." he assured. "We don't blame you, you know. You did what we all would have done."

Nick looked disgusted, "I failed all of you. Even Quinn. All of you. I left you behind."

"No, you saved the lives of innocent children and youth, and you saved yourself." said Gibbs. "But you could have died." exclaimed Nick, "I can't take the idea of leaving you both for dead out of my mind and all of you know that."

Ellie sighed. "None of us will ever be over Paraguay will we?"

"No." said Tim, "But I'm glad we're all here."

"Me too." added Gibbs, "And that's saying something."

Nick chuckled lightly, before scratching the back of his head. "I guess."

Ellie patted Nick's back lightly. "There, there now. You're okay now."

"Ellie, no." grumbled Nick, "Would you rather do floor time again?" asked Ellie sweetly.

"Hell nah. My butt's still sore from sitting with you on the ground all day long." he retorted. Gibbs laughed, "Floor time, huh? So we got campfire, we got shout and talk, and now we got floor time."

"What's campfire?" asked Nick, "I think you've told me before but I forgot. Tell me again?"

"It was Tony DiNozzo's idea of meeting up in the bullpen, the one who used to sit at McGee's desk." explained Ellie.

"The one where the love of his life passed away because of Trent Kort?" asked Nick quietly.

"Yeah." said Ellie, nodding softly. "Ziva. She left behind a daughter. Tali."

The team shared a sombre look of sadness and sighed. They had lost way too many people over the last few years. "The NCIS rememberence wall," asked Nick, "Where is it? I want to pay a visit of respect tomorrow."

"2nd floor." whispered Gibbs softly. "Okay." said Nick.

Gibbs looked away, and Nick couldn't help but think what death would have caused Gibbs to be so heartbroken.

Even though he'd been on the team for awhile, Gibbs never seemed... emotional about anything.

* * *

In the NCIS evidence garage, Gibbs was softly trying to push the thought of Kate's death out of his mind. He still blamed himself for not knocking her out of the way, for not being careful. He was supposed to protect his agents.

And Jenny.

How he regretted how he didn't tell her.

Tell her about how he felt.

And most importantly, he was supposed to protect someone he cared about.

And look how well that turned out, he thought bitterly. Shannon and Kelly. Kate. Even Diane for crying out loud.

He had messed up every relationships he'd ever had.

Shannon. Diane. Stephanie. Hollis. Margaret. Jenny. Kate. Samantha.

Every woman he had met, almost every single one of them had ended up dead.

Plus, his heart had shattered every time the relationship ended as well. He had specifically chosen Torres for the team.

And Quinn. He liked Quinn.

She was an agent with a strong personality and an interesting history. He had always admired her ability to keep calm, and her odd sense of humor. Maybe if she had stayed... he could have fallen in love with her.

" _You literally fall in love with everyone"_ whispered his conscience. Gibbs snorted, before rolling his eyes. "Uh Gibbs?" asked Abby, "What are you doing?"

Gibbs whipperd his head around and grinned sheepishly at Abby. "Hey Abbs," he said, regaining his posture. "I'm uh, thinking."

"Good for you Gibbs." said Abby, patting Gibbs on the head, "Now follow me, I have some more information about some valuable diamonds. And by diamonds, I mean meth." she grinned. "And sly move, today."

Gibbs looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Pairing the two lovebirds up and making them kiss each other." said Abby innocently, "Rumor has it that our bad boy, Nick Torres has a thing for our Ellie."

"Ellie?" asked Gibbs, "You thought I did this on purpose?" he questioned.

"Woah, Gibbs." said Abby, "You mean, you just paired them up together? You're not... wow."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Is this what you spend your free time doing? Shipping Torres and Bishop?"

"Yes." said Abby confidently, "In fact, I used to spend all my freetime shipping you and Kate... and then Tony and Ziva." she looked down, feeling really guilty about mentioning his former member of his team.

"Sorry." she said, wincing. "I didn't mean to-"

Gibbs sighed. "No, it's fine, Abby. I need to try and get over her death anyways. It's been almost 12 years." he said bitterly.

"A death I could have stopped. I could of killed Ari with my bare hands, so Kate would still be here." he said, sighing heavily.

"No," said Abby, "If Kate didn't die, Tony or McGee might have died, and I just need ONE of my otps to have a nice, happy, safe and quiet life."

Gibbs snorted. "As if. You know me, my middle name is 'disaster'. Leroy Disaster Gibbs."

Abby smiled slightly. "Did you just crack a joke?" she asked.

Gibbs looked down. "Maybe."

Abby patted him on the back. "Maybe... you're changing all by yourself and you don't know." she said softly, before kissing him on the cheek and strolling out of the room confidently.

Gibbs grinned. Maybe he was changing, and maybe it was for the better good.

* * *

In the black van, in the park, Ellie was shoving her ear piece into her left ear, and attaching the video button onto her jacket. "Why do we have to wear all this." she grumbled to McGee, who was helping her strap on the listening device. "Because, we want you to be safe and we need this information. Plus, I'm going to be a protective Dad, and I need to start babying people to practice for when Mo and Jo get older. Although Delilah says that-"

"Delilah is probably 99.99% right. You're a fantastic dad, and we are all behind you." assured Ellie. McGee grinned. "Really? You think so?"

"Yep," said Ellie, "And I hope you guys have anotherk kid or two, because if you guys don't, I owe Torres 20 bucks."

McGee grinned at the mention of Nick. "So, Ellie, rumor has it that Torres has a crush on you."

Ellie looked surprised. "Oh really? That's nice."

"That's it?" asked McGee, "No, 'Oh he's pretty hot' or 'Ew no!' for you?!"

Ellie grinned. "Let's just say this. I. Do. Not. Think. Torres. Has. A. Crush. On. Me."

"Oh yeah?" asked McGee, "Well, loser pays for takeout tonight?"

"You're on." said Ellie grinning.

"What's on?" asked Torres, strolling in and standing next to McGee.

"Nothing." chorused Ellie and Tim.

Torres rolled his eyes. "Uh huh..."

Tim grinned. "I'll leave you two to discuss what you want to do. Remember to make it romantic." he reminded.

Ellie and Nick rolled their eyes in unison. "We know." said Ellie sarcastically.

"Come on, I'm not that bad." defended Nick. Ellie raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

"That's not what you said last night." he said smugly. "Last night was different." complained Ellie.

"You think I'm hot?" asked Nick. Ellie flushed red. "Sure."

Nick grinned widely. "Well, all the ladies-"

"All the ladies minus Abby." added Abby. "Gibbs says we're leaving in 5 minutes."

Ellie nodded. "Thank you Abby."

"No problem. Also, Tim says to make out."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Tell him that if he wants to make out, he should find Delilah."

Abby snorted. "Our lovebirds. Mr. and Mrs. McGee."

"Hey," said Nick, "So wouldn't their babies be McBaby 1 and 2?"

Abby groaned. "That's almost as bad as Tony's nicknames. Tony had a nickname for McGee, like everday. Of course, Gibbs would always headslap him at the end, but man, we don't need that many nicknames for our favourite married man."

Ellie smirked and shurgged innocently, "Do you think he'll mind if we call him-"

"Ellie? Torres?" called McGee, "We're leaving."

Ellie nodded. "I'll finish this afterwards, Abby. Thank you." she said, before giving them a hug.

* * *

In the van, the team was going over undercover protocol. "So, we have 3 backup agents stationed as bikers around the marina. You both have bulletproof vests, a video camera, a bug, and some well... you both have ear pieces."

"Okay." said Ellie, "This is a different mission, and it could affect the whole world?"

"Yes." confirmed McGee, "There are a lot of things at stake, including your lives."

"It's always the drugs" grumbled Nick, "It's always the drugs. Why can't it be candy? Or bananas? Or something I can-"  
"Eat?" asked Gibbs, "You can eat-"  
"Woah!" stopped McGee, "I have a very good feeling this won't be good. So stop talking."

"Daddy saves the day." said Ellie, grinning.

"Okay. We're almost there. Are you guys ready to fall in love?" asked Tim. Nick shot him a look of annoyance. "Sure."

"Okay." grumbled Gibbs, "One, two, three, we're going to drop you off at the coffee shop on the corner and you guys will walk out in the marina and act like nothing has happened. Be casual. Do not be creepy."

"Wow Gibbs, that's the longest sentance I've heard from you in a while."

Gibbs smacked Nick on the back of his head. "Go and do your work."

"There it is," grumbled McGee, "The headslap."

"You got plenty when Tony was still here, Tim." added Ellie, "You aren't completely innocent."

"In fact, you're not innocent at all." added Nick, "You and Delilah doing the hanky panky before you guys got married? A sin."

McGee grinned. "I did lose my virginity at 17."

Nick and Ellie choked on air, and spun to look at McGee. "Oh." said Nick, "You weren't a... good boy."

"Like you're a good Catholic boy anyways, Nicolas Torres." mumbled Ellie. Nick looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" he complained, "Like yeah I do-"

"Save it for later." snapped Jaqqueline, who had come down to wish the team some luck.

"Be sure to throw in some extra moves." she winked at Nick, who simply sighed.

Abby leaned over and grinned. "She's totally onto Nick about the whole 'crush on Ellie' thing."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't be?"

"Gibbs." replied Abby. "He didn't even see it."

"That's a lie." muttered Tim. "He saw Tiva... and now he's putting Ellick together."

Abby leaned on McGee's shoulder. "It's nice to see all these people in love."

* * *

 **I must confess I had this story written back in October, and I never got to finish it. So... it's kinda funny how I "predicted" an Ellick undercover beforehand.**

 **Part two will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

The Cleanup After the Storm

 **Author's Note: Hello everyone! I decided, that instead of writing about the High Tide episode, I should instead write what happens AFTER the little elevator scene at the end of the episode. I hope you guys like that idea, because I have been really busy these last few days, and I don't want anyone to feel hurt that I didn't write out the episode, because that's actually really difficult... and I can't exactly rewatch it again. I'm broke. Anyways, hope you're having a great start to the year!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, or the characters.**

* * *

Clicking on the elevator button nervously, Nick hesitated going after Ellie.

He knew that he was supposed to be lifting those scuba tanks...

But his heart was telling him to go after Ellie.

 _"It's cause you love her."_ whispered his heart.

Okay.

Maybe he loved Ellie, but there was no way she would ever go out with him.

I mean, she only got divorced 2 years ago.

She lost her fiancee last year.

And now...

It would be way too soon.

 _Spend your own damn life with the woman you love._ muttered Gibbs's voice inside his head.

Nick winced, before clicking the elevator button.

"Nick!" exclaimed Ellie, "Oh, I uh, I want to help."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "You want... to help me move scuba tanks?"

Ellie nodded. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Nick shrugged, "No. But come on. We've got a lotta scuba tanks to take out."

* * *

"So... it's midnight. We finished getting all the scuba tanks. What's next?" asked Ellie, wiping her hands off, and grabbing her bag, as they were heading out of the evidence garage.

"I'm surprised you can lift all this stuff." grumbled Nick,"You made me look like a Probie again."

"Country girl." remarked Ellie, "It paid off."

"Well, dinner?" asked Nick. "I'm starving, and I know you are." he teased, referring to Ellie's stomach growling.

"As long as it's not garlic pizza, I'm in, baby." replied Ellie, smirking.

"That's good. Because I know a really good pasta place." said Nick, starring at Ellie.

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Pasta it is."

"Me encanta la pasta." said Nick, "Yo tambien." replied Ellie.

"Yeah, I keep forgetting you're fluent in Spanish." muttered Nick. "It's like you're some language genius or something. Is there something you can't do?"

"I can't-" Ellie paused. "Nevermind."

Nick grinned back at her. "Ahhh, I told you you were good."

"Right back at you, Luis." she teased, "And you're not that bad of a kisser."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he protested, "Was one kiss not good enough for you? Ya want more, Charlie?"

Ellie licked her lips, before raising an eyebrow. "Maybe."

Nick grabbed her, and pulled her closer to him, "What about now?" he asked, the smell of his cologne becoming stronger.

"Okay!" said Ellie, "You're good."

"That's not what you said a few nights ago." he said, grinning.

"We were undercover?" she muttered.

"You said we were _married."_

"Well... I had to make up a story somehow." she defended.

"Okay, you know what. Let's go get some pasta, maybe a few beers, and then we go home and get a good night's sleep, because I'm so tired." suggested Nick.

"Fine by me." replied Ellie. "As long as I pay."

* * *

"What's good, Nick?" asked Ellie, starring at the menu. "I mean, my Italian isn't the best, but I don't really know what to eat. There are SO many options."

"I prefer lasagna." he said.

Despite them not being a couple anymore, Ellie and Nick sat next to each other, in a cozy booth.

"I've never heard of this place." said Ellie, biting into a piece of bread. "24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year of Italian food, and free bread? Amazing."

"Mama Chita is the best chef out there." said Nick, dipping his garlic bread into some marinara sauce. "Plus she's saved my life a bunch."

Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. "Nick..."

"It's okay, Char. It was during my old days, while I was flirting with-"

Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not something we should talk about."

"Sorry. Right. Anything you want to talk about?" asked Nick, taking another bite out of his garlic bread. "Relationships? Qasim? Jake?" he spat.

"I am completely over Jake." said Ellie dryly. "He's an idiot. Oh yeah, and he's getting remarried."

Nick snorted. "What an as-"

Ellie whacked him on the arm, before glaring at him. "Language."

"Right." said Nick, "Miss I-know-6-languages-it's-easy-to-get-creative."

Ellie grinned. "Pepper spray is different, hon."

"If McGee ever pulls another stunt like that..." said McGee,

"What are you going to do? Buy the kids a drum set when their older?" retorted Ellie.

"Great idea." said Nick, smirking. "Uncle Nick's buying a drum set and a..."

"A what?" asked Ellie, raising an eyebrow, as she took another sip of her iced tea.

"A... cymbal?" said Nick, raising an eyebrow.

Ellie sighed. "Please don't buy them that. Delilah's going to KILL you. Or even worse, she's going to to do that to _your_ future children!"

"Thinking about my future, aren't you?" teased Nick. "Some small, sassy Torres children."

Ellie snorted. "Your poor wife."

"You?" teased Nick.

"Stop." said Ellie, flushing red.

"I'm just teasing, Ell."

* * *

"Hands down, this was the best meal I've had in a LONG time." said Ellie, wiping her fingers on a napkin. "Tell Mama Chita that's she's literally the best cook _ever._ "

"Will do." promised Nick, "But I've had a few too many beers."

"You had 2, you lightweight." said Ellie, snorting.

"Righttttt..." said Nick, sighing.

"Well... I'll be getting home." said Nick after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Can you stay with me?" asked Ellie hesitantly.

Nick shrugged. "Is that what you want...?"

"Yeah." said Ellie, "I haven't felt too safe."

"I'll stay with you." promised Nick. "I'm not letting anything happen to you."

"Don't promise that." said Ellie, "Don't promise anything you can't keep."

"Does that mean I can keep ya?" asked Nick grinning.

"Tease." muttered Ellie, before leaving a 6 dollar tip on the table.

"Thanks for paying." said Nick.

"No problem." said Ellie, "My treat. Even if I'm still ridiculously mad at you for leaving me behind at the hospital, ALONE, on a team mission."

Nick grimanced. "Sorry?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "It's going to take a lot more than that for me to not resist the urge to shoot you in the balls and then display yourself all over the NCIS entrance."

"Dark." said Nick, "But I like it."

"Whatever."

"Now... are we heading home or what?"

* * *

"Mmmm..." said Ellie, rolling over in bed, before feeling someone next to her, in her bed. Plus, her memory was a bit fuzzy. What happened last night?

The smell of Nick's cologne was really strong..

Holy snap.

"NICK!" hissed Ellie, "What the _hell_ are you doing in my bed?"

Nick rolled over on his side, and grogilly stared at Ellie.

"Well, we're both fully clothed?" he said weakly. "I can't remember."

"Last thing I remember was you on the couch." she said, sighing.

"We didn't do anything right?" he asked softly.

"And if we did?" asked Ellie, looking at him.

"Depends. Would you regret it?"

"Not really." she replied. "As long as I agreed to it, of course."

"We need to talk." said Nick, sighing. "It seems like there is a lot to talk about."

On her nightstand, Ellie's phone vibrated, and did a little ping!

"It's Gibbs." she said, sighing.

"Hi Gibbs." said Ellie.

"Bishop, you know where Nick went?" asked Gibbs angrily. "I stopped by his apartment, and nada. Nothing. Where is he?"

Nick and Ellie shared a look of fear. "Tell him the truth." mouthed Nick.

"He's... at my apartment Gibbs." said Ellie weakly.

Gibbs sighed. "Okay. We'll talk at the office."

Ellie sighed. "Seems like we're in trouble."

* * *

 **Not my strongest chapter...**

 **Remember to leave some helpful comments below!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Talk to Me**

 **Author's Note: I will admit that I only wanted "High Tide?" to be a 2-part story, and I wanted to leave the ending in all of your imaginations, but I kinda felt like I should write what I thought would happen after that. So, here it is. Part 3. Please remember to review, as some of you were a bit desperate to get the 3rd chapter. Please do not reupload my stories onto any other site and pass them off as your own. Thank you!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or the Characters, just the plot ideas.**

* * *

"Walk in at different times?" asked Nick softly.

After they had awaken in bed together, Ellie had barely spoken to him, and had ignored him all morning.

"Yeah." mumbled Ellie, before looking down. "You first then."

"Oh. Okay." replied Nick, shrugging. "I just, I don't know, I kinda wanted to walk with you."

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Did you?" she asked, skeptically.

"Okay fine. I just wanted to talk to you." he admitted.

Ellie walked past him.

"Did I say something?" murmered Nick curiously, pressing the button to the elevator after they had gone through security.

"It's not you. It's me. It's always been." mumbled Ellie. "I just... don't know if it's too soon. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know..."

Nick flashed her a sideways grin, a bit hopeful at her words. "Well, whatever you decide... I'm here for you."

"You always have been." mumbled Ellie, before stepping into the elevator.

"Whatever happens next... we'll still be friends?" asked Nick hopefully.

"Yeah." said Ellie, before looking down again and shuffling awkwardly in her black combat boots.

DING!

The elevator opened, and Nick and Ellie stepped out into the squadroom, where Gibbs and Vance were standing.

"Sh*t." grumbled Nick, "I liked it when they were here last night way more."

"Nick, shut up." hissed Ellie, before smiling weakly at her two bosses, as she and Nick walked into the bullpen.

"Agent Bishop. Agent Torres." said Director Vance sharply. "My office." he said, gesturing up.

"I didn't know Vance had a no agents dating rule too." muttered Ellie nervously, following Director Vance and Nick up the stairs to his office on the 2nd floor.

"Just hope that we don't split up." mumbled Nick. "I'd hate for that to happen."

* * *

"Where's Ellie and Nick?" asked Tim, walking into the bullpen, yawning. "Sorry I'm a few minutes late. Delilah couldn't get Mo to stop wriggling and I had to help her. She's all action. Mo that is. She's really grown. She's a bit smaller than John, but she really likes to move and wriggle. Reminds me of a little worm." he said, smiling.

"Parenthood." said Gibbs fondly. "And for Torres and Ellie, they are up in Director Vance's office."

"What did they do now?!" asked McGee, scrunching his eyebrows out in confusement.

"What do you mean, _now?"_ asked Gibbs, curling his lips. "Have they done something that I don't know about, Tim?"

Tim smiled nervously, before taking deeper breaths. "No... of course not!"

Gibbs glared at him. "Tim..." he said.

"Okay, FINE!" squeaked McGee, shaking. "Nick has a crush on Ellie but Ellie might be or maybe isn't over Qasim and then they've been going out to dinner for a while and then last night after, after dinner he went to Ellie's apartment and they spent the night and then they woke up together and-"

"ENGLISH, McGee!" shouted Gibbs. "Slowly. And from the beginning."

"Nick likes Ellie. Ellie doesn't know if she likes Nick. They are building up a friendship. They spent the night together." said Tim breathlessly.

"And how would you know that they spent the night together, McGee?" asked Gibbs skeptically.

"Well uh... Nick kinda... I don't know. Honestly. I swear." fumbled Tim, before grinning awkwardly. "I don't know too much about them." he mumbled.

"Yeah, well. Okay. Get to work. Finish that paperwork." said Gibbs, slapping a case file down on his desk before jogging away from the bullpen, and up the stairs, and into Sloane's office.

* * *

"Agent Bishop. Agent Torres. Sit down." said Director Vance sharply.

"Director, I just want to ask that you-" pleaded Ellie.

"Agent Bishop, you are not in the terms of negotiation right now." he retorted, before sitting down in his chair.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen!" he exclaimed at the duo, who were staring at each other in confusion.

"Uh...?" asked Nick, "What."

"I don't know if you guys can keep your personal life and your work life seperate." said Director Vance coldy. "I have known many partners to have broken their trust and their love with each other, through a breakup. If you guys break up, the odds of it being mutual is 100,000 to 0, and that means you both are not mature enough to handle it!"

"Um, we can." said Ellie, sharply. "I have done it before."

"And how did that turn out both times, Agent Bishop?" sneered Director Vance, who was clearly not pleased with the thought of two of his best agents possiby entering a relationship.

"Don't you dare mention Jake." spat Ellie, "That was not my fault. And how _dare you_ say that after Qasim." exclaimed Ellie furiously. "I can't believe you."

"Ellie." said Nick, softly. "Calm down."

"Do you know what happened to Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David? And Gibbs and Director Shepard? And so many other partners, who's relationships ruined their career and their work relationship with their people?!" exclaimed Director Vance, "Do you?!"

"It won't!" protested Nick. "Ellie and I know when to keep it professional."

"I can't stop you both from dating, but I can split you up." replied Director Vance. "You have two choices. Split up to different teams, and you can date, or let Agent Gibbs decide."

* * *

"Hey cowboy." said Jaqqueline Sloane, opening the door. "What brings ya to my office?" she asked, gesturing to her chair and desk, which was to the left of the door.

"Ellie 'n Nick." said Gibbs gruffly, before sitting down.

"What about them?" asked Sloane, before taking her black reading glasses and sliding them onto her face.

"Well... they like each other, don't they?" asked Gibbs.

"Well..." said Sloane, grinning, "That's not up to me. That's up to them. Personally, I think that Nick has these feelings for Ellie, but it's a bit early for her to start dating again. You mentioned that her fiance had died, less than a year ago?"

"Yes." replied Gibbs, "And she was cheated on, and then divorced just at the beginning of last year."

"Sounds like Agent Bishop has had a bit of a relationship problem these past few years." noted Sloane, looking at Gibbs curiously, and tilting her head to the side. "Why'd ya ask, though."

"Because. I want to know what's right for them. I don't want them to end up like Tony and Ziva, heartbrokened and alone, because of troubles and heartaches." said Gibbs, feeling a bit of a stab to his heart. He still regreted making Rule 12 sometimes, and his granddaughter Tali was an example of that.

"Well... seems like you already know the answer to that." said Sloane, warmly grinning up at him.

"Maybe." replied Gibbs, sighing. "I don't know what to do though."

"Let them figure it out." suggested Sloane, "This is difficult enough for them, and the last thing they want is critism and hate over their choices. Yes, they are adults, but they are also employees for a federal agency, and their behavior may not be tolerated by Leon, as well as someone else."

"Like me 'n Jenny?" asked Gibbs, looking down.

"You guys were undercover." corrected Sloane, "And that's a bit different."

"Feelings I never acted upon." muttered Gibbs, "Feelings and events I could have prevented."

"A string of failed marriages does not count, Gibbs." argued back Sloane, setting her cup of coffee down on the desk, after taking a sip.

"Then what does?" asked Gibbs, "Deaths? _Her_ death? The..."

"Don't you dare blame that on yourself." said Sloane strongly, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Then what?" asked Gibbs. "What should I do?"

"Follow your heart." said Sloane, standing up, and sending him a pointed stare.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Ya know I don't have one."

"You know what to do." said Sloane smiling, before gesturing back to the door. "You always know what to do. Don't stop now, Gibbs."

* * *

"What do you want to do?" whispered Nick, who was standing next to Ellie in a corner of Director Vance's office, where they were conversing about what to do with Director Vance's ultimatum.

"Well..." said Ellie, sighing. "What do you think?"

"I know it's still a bit early for you, Ell. And I can wait as long as you want me too." said Nick, shrugging. "Or we could let Gibbs decide."

"Nick, it's not that I don't like you, it's just... I've been through a divorced marriage, I lost my fiance to a terrorist, and now... there's you. You're an incredible guy, and I-"

Nick looked down. "You what." he asked, trying not to show his hurt feelings on his face.

"I..." Ellie burried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry." she muttered.

"Bishop. Torres." said Gibbs, who had walked into the room.

Ellie whipped her head around, and stared at Gibbs in surprise.

He was smiling.

"Ya want 'ta sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the table and chairs.

Nick shot Ellie a confused stare, before following Ellie towards the table.

"First of all." said Gibbs, snorting. "You look very sleepy, Torres. 2nd of all, I'm not mad about what happened last night."

"Nothing happened last night." protested Nick. "We just woke up in the same bed."

"Nick." hissed Ellie, "What are you doing?!"

"And we woke up fully clothed." said Nick, curling his lips.

"Yet you are about to enter a phyical relationship?" asked Director Vance, sending Gibbs, Ellie, and Nick a pointed stare, from his desk.

"Um.." said Nick. "That's yet to be decided, since some people are so eagar to interfere in our personal lives, despite it being not their business." he muttered bitterly.

"I'm just saying, Agent Torres, that if you enter a relationship with Agent Bishop, that it might not work out." he said strongly. "And I have a problem with two of some of my best field agents not trusting each other."

Ellie looked over at Nick.

Director Vance had a point.

No relationship was guaranteed to work out, and the fact that they were working together on the same field team wasn't exactly the best idea.

Nick glanced over at Ellie, who's eyes had turned glassy. "Ell?" he asked, tilting his head. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she said, shrugging.

"Well, seems like you are both responsible adults." said Gibbs, standing back up. "You decide. Don't take our opinions as the Bible. Do what you guys want to do. I'll see you downstairs." he said, winking at Nick, before swinging the door open and leaving.

"Weird." mumbled Ellie, before looking up at Director Vance, who was standing between thet two.

"You both have a decision to make." he said sternly.

* * *

"So..." said Nick, shuffling around on his feet. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked, looking at Ellie.

Their slight height difference made it easy for him to stare into her eyes, and he found the way her eyes shifted when she was nervous extremely interesting.

"Did you know that strawberries aren't actually berries?" asked Nick, trying to break the awkward silence that was happening between him and Ellie.

"And bananas are." said Ellie, smiling out of the corner of her mouth.

"Correct." said Nick, shrugging. "You okay?" he asked.

"I guess." said Ellie. "I've been trying to push Qasim's...death... out of my mind. I've been trying to forget everything I had with Jake."

"So you were being your same self?" joked Nick, "Always analyzing and thinking. Smart."

"You trying to make me feel better?" asked Ellie bitterly, "Because you're not doing a great job, right now."

"No... I just. Eleanor." he said softly. "I want you." he whispered, looking down. "And I'm pretty sure you feel pretty annoyed, and really confused but..."

"But what?" asked Ellie, shuffling.

"I really like you." confessed Nick. "You've always been so brilliant, and talented, and fearless, and you're really pretty."

"Thanks?" said Ellie, snorting.

"I'm not joking." said Nick, his face turning serious. "You really are amazing."

"Well..."

"And I want you to know that... I'll do whatever you want. As long as you're happy." said Nick, strongly.

"Well... that was a bit unexpected." said Ellie. "I thought you were going to say something like 'Yeah let's date' or something, but that's not really like you, is it."

"I guess." said Nick. "But Ellie..."

"Well... give it a few weeks." she suggested. "Let's date."

* * *

 **Ending was good? I want you readers to know that I'm not going to write a followup story on this particular one, but you'll see sequels of the other stories (possibly) soon. It really depends on where I am this semester.**


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